Improvement in railway-switches



UNITED STATES JAMES B. soHorIELD, or CALDWELL, OHIO, Assienon or cnn-HALF His RIGHT TO JOSHUA M. DAVIS AND` DAVID H. SGHOFIELD, OF SAME.

PLACEA Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,364, dated January 13,1874; application tiled February 24, 1873.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-SWITCH ES.

which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in self-acting railroad-switches.

i In the drawings, Figure l exhibits my invention in perspective; and Fig. 2, a view in plan of the same, one rail being broken to show the operation of the prolonged cam groove in the switch-cylinder.

My invention consists as follows: The bent arms A A are attached to the road-bed in a suitable manner, swinging from the pivots a a. From thev extremities of the bent arms connecting-rods c c pass to the switch-cylinder C. This cylinder is placed beneath the swinging rails D D, and has cut in it the prolonged cam-grooves cl d, in which operate the spuds s s, attached to the under surface of the swinging rails.

It will be seen that, when t-he cylinder G revolves, the swinging rails will be shifted by the operation of the eccentric groove upon the spuds `s s.

The revolution of the switch-cylinder C is e'ected as follows: To the locomotive is attached a sliding bar, running in appropriate grooves and fastenings. Attached to this sliding bar is a rod operating it. The said rod is worked by a lever, which passesr along thelocomotive, and is manipulated by the engineer.

When approaching a switch, the engineer, by means of the lever-rod, throws out the sliding bar, so that its end projects from the side of the` locomotive in such a way that, in passing the raised arm A, it depresses said arm, and, in so doing, operates the switch- 4cylinder C, through the connecting-rod c, and

switches the swinging rails D D to the desired position.

I design constructing a sliding rod for each side of the locomotive, or I will construct a siigle sliding rod that shall operate at either s1 e.

It will be seen that whenever an arm, A, on one side of the track is raised, the one upon the opposite side is depressed, and the engineer can, at pleasure, depress the raised arm, and thus switch his train; or he can permit the sliding bar to be drawn in and pass the switch without operating it should such be his desire.

In order to protect against the introduction ot' snow, ice, dirt, or other objectonablematter within the eccentric grooves ol d, I attach to the under surface of the swinging rails the shields f f, made of metal or other suitable material.

On the switch-cylinder G, it will be noticed that at each end of the cam-grooves did I have prolonged the groove in a line at a right angle with the axis ot' the cylinder.

By this provision I accomplish two ends: First, the rails are held in position during the transit of the cars, whereas, otherwise, the force upon the rails might bear in the direc tion of the cam-groove, and the swinging rails be thus displaced; second, after the arms A have revolved the cylinder G to a sucient degree to switch the swinging rails, the prolongations of the slots d d permit of a further revolution of the cylinder C, and therefore of a-greater depression of the arms A; and, by this extra depression, the switch-bar E of the moving train can pass safely over the arms A without danger of collision.

In my invention, I have placed it always in the power of the engineer, or other person on the approaching train, to switch said trainV independently, and thus is secured not only'a greater immunity against accident from the neglect or blunders of a switchatender, but also an economy to the extent of said switchtenders wages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let- In testimony that I claim the foregoing ters Patent,s have hereunto set my hand this 10th dey of The combination, substantially as herein de- February, 1873.

scribed, in a. self-acting railroad-switch of the pivoted crank-arms A, connecting-rods7 c, cyl- JAMES B SGHOFIELD' inder C, with cam, prolonged cam-grooves d Witnesses:

d, spuds s s, and sheldsf, all arranged and HAMILTON WILEY,

operating as and for the purposes set forth. J. D. WILEY. 

